Nepal: Kathmandu Valley

Nepal: Kathmandu ValleyBeauty and madness are always close-by when you travel in Kathmandu Valley. Not actually a dale but a large oval bowl, encircled by green terraced hills, Kathmandu Valley overflows with colour, religion and art. So important is its cultural heritage, that UNESCO set apart seven Monumental Zones.

Bhaktapur's New Year's festival (Bisket) starts with a tug-of-war in Taumadhi Square, in which residents of the upper and lower halves of the city try to pull a chariot to their respective sides. The enormous temple shaped rath (vehicle of the gods) contains a mask of the god Bhairava, which is normally kept in the Bhairava Temple that is visible on the right. On the left stands the five-tiered Nyatapola Temple. Photo Mick Palarczyk.